The Art Of Tricking Death
by NikaChii
Summary: Being imprisoned for a murder he didn’t even remember committing… Naruto soon learns the meaning behind the phrase “Hell on earth.” Lives are about to change, hearts about to shatter and certain people are destined to be reunited.
1. The decision

**This story is rated M for**: Violent themes(brutal torture), sexual themes(Might be lemons), language, very dark things.

**Summary: _Being imprisoned for a murder he didn't even remember committing… Naruto soon learns the meaning behind the phrase "Hell on earth." Lives are about to change, hearts about to shatter and certain people are destined to be reunited._**

**AN: The following chapters(not including this one) will have a lenght between 7000-10000 Words. Enjoy the story, I hope you're all willing to give it a shot.**

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It was early February. The snow laid like a thick, magical blanket covering the grounds and the many rooftops of Konoha. The moonlight made the tiny snow crystals glitter like millions of small diamonds. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. This gorgeous view could probably cast a spell on any of the villagers, still one person was not impressed. He hated the sound the snow made under his feet. Crisping like a freakin' potato ship. Hell, he didn't even like potato ships. He didn't like the winter, the snow, the cold breeze that came ever once in a while... _`To fucking cold..' _The man thought to himself while cursing the old bastards for summoning him in the middle of the night. He could use the snow covered rooftops, but it was better to avoid unwanted attention. He didn't even mind walking, if it hadn't been for the god damn snow he'd actually be happy to.

Reaching the hokage tower he pulled down the hood he'd been wearing this whole time. He'd been asked to dress casually, like a civilian. A long brown coat, a little too thin for his liking, and some black boots to go with it. Nothing outstanding. The man ran fingers through the black locks before eying the front of the hokage building. There were two guards standing in front of the main entrance. So the security _had _beentighten? Well, the men didn't really seem to be doing their job very well anyway. They both looked like they lacked days of sleep and if the taller guard kept his eyes closed for much longer the cigarette in his mouth would cause some serious damage to his lips. Maybe this way he could get himself a good laugh before facing his always-pissed-off superiors.. The raven haired man smirked. Konoha was low on jounins at the moment, he knew that better than anyone. Tired shinobis working around the clock… and for what? To protect the pathetic excuse for a hokage? To defend what was left of this village? How he missed the old days. When it was ok to play a little dirty without getting the hokage on your neck. The man started to walk towards the two guards. They seemed to notice him when he was about ten feet away and they immediately shot up in a straighter position, eying the stranger with a suspicious look. The cigarette fell into the snow. _'So much for that entertainment…' _the man sighed before taking a stand in front of the two shinobis guarding the building.

"I'm sorry sir, we don't let civilians in here at night." The taller guard said, trying to hide the obvious yawn.

The raven haired gave a polite smile. "Good evening gentlemen. I am aware of this, but I really need to get something from the third store. I seemed to forget it when I left work this morning. Please forgive me for my stupidity." He laughed nervously.

"You work here?" The shinobi asked.

"I do. And I'm sorry to say that if I don't finish my work by tomorrow morning the higher ups will probably kill me." The raven haired said, acting half serious.

The guards started laughing. "Yeah, we've all been there. But I still need to see some ID. So if you don't mind-"

"Not at all, good sir." The man said as he started to fumble around in his jacket pocked. He finally found what he was looking for and handed it over to the guard.

The guard raised an eyebrow before he stepped aside. "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you. This could take a while though." As he passed the guards and entered the building his smile faded and turned into an ugly frown.

'_Naïve bastards… Those can't seriously be considered as members of Konoha's elite…'_

Instead of continuing down the hallway the black-haired took a left and opened a red door leading down to an underground hallway instead. It was quiet. No wonder though. It wasn't something secret abort this place, but this part of the building was no longer in use and hadn't been for the last 10 years. At least, it was supposed to be empty. The steps echoed in the walls as he walked with soaked boots down the stairs. Well, it certainly beat the crisping. Faint voices emanating from the room at the end of the hallway soon caught his attention. That had to be it. Who else would willingly have a meeting in this shit hole? He didn't understand why everything had to be so damn secretive at a time like this. Unless they really didn't want the hokage to know.

'_This better be important'._

He paused in his steps, listening to the voices coming from behind the door. He knocked on it gently and waited silently for permission to open it.

"Enter." A dark voice said.

The raven haired did as he was told and entered the room.

"Kagoshima Kayato. I am glad you could make it on such short notice."

"Danzou-sama." Kayato bowed respectfully.

Danzou, along with the two elders Koharu and Homura, were sitting in the middle of the room around a large, white table. Their faces emotionless and cold, kinda creeped him out. The raven haired gave another bow in the elders direction before taking a seat at the same table.

"So, why did you summon me?"

Danzou exchanged looks with the elders before facing a curious Kayato.

"Kayato-san. You have always been an excellent shinobi and we've had great use for you both as an ANBU captain and undercover member of ROOT. Right now, you are the only one I completely trust."

'_what's with the suck up comments?' _Was he about to get another crappy job? It's not like he could refuse either_… _It wasn't like Danzou to compliment… well… anyone.

"I appreciate that, Danzou-sama." The black-haired answered.

Koharu flipped through some papers before she placed the bunch on the table as she sighed. "As you might've noticed, the village are getting pretty low on high ranked ninjas. Apparently it's only myself, Danzou and Homura that sees this as a problem. We can't defend this village with weak chuunins and academy teachers… The hokage doesn't seem to understand this fact and we are forced to take action. Even if it means going behind her back. Do you understand, Kagoshima-san?"

So he wasn't the only one thinking this, huh?

"I do. But what does this have to do with me?" In all honesty, Kayato never _had _respected the fifth and had no problems with going behind her back.

Danzou took over the talking yet again. "Do you know why we're short on jounins and ANBU, Kayato-san?"

"Yes. We've lost about 30 jounins this week. They all died in battle. Is it something I'm missing?"

Danzou ignored the question. "Do you know who's killing our shinobis?"

"Err… well, not exactly. I've been a little busy so I've missed out on a lot of reports." The raven haired scratched the back of his head. He didn't like the elders, or Danzou for that matter, but he still held some respect for them. After all, they could kill him in a heartbeat if they really wanted to.

"An organization I am sure you have heard of known as the _Akutsuki _has been targeting our village for quite some time now. Well, not exactly our village, but something in it. Something we can't let them have, but our shinobis are paying the price for keeping it out of their reach. It was a close call the other day and it troubles me."

"They're after the jinchuuriki, right?" It wasn't really that much of a secret anymore and could almost be considered as common knowledge among the villagers.

The three elders nodded.

"So… What are you getting at? You obviously want to get rid of this Akatsuki right?" Kayato asked.

"That is close to impossible. Actually, we had something different in mind. We'll have to face them sooner or later, but we could stall the encounter and make them a little less powerful by taking away something they need."

There was a long silence before a smirk crossed the raven haired ANBU captains lips.

"You want to get rid of the brat?"

"Exactly." It was faint, but a small smile was formed on the one-eyed man's face.

"Heh, well I fail to see the problem. Why don't just take him out?" Kayato leaned back in the chair. Now this was something he was actually looking forward to do.

"It's not that easy I'm afraid. The hokage, as you know, has taken a great liking to the kid. It also seems that the villagers is more or less more comfortable around him now than they were before. After he saved the Kazekage's life he's been given the credit for bringing Suna and Konoha closer together. If we do something to that kid the way things are now we'll just end up having the entire village against us. Now, if we only could get the villagers to understand how much of a problem that kid is there is not much Tsunade-hime can do to stop us from at least imprisoning the jinchuuriki. From there on I know how to handle the rest." Danzou crossed his arms.

"So '_all_' we have to do is to make the villagers hate him again? Sorry for asking, but how the hell are you gonna pull that one off?" The ANBU captain rolled his yes unconsciously. It didn't go unnoticed, but Danzou let it pass.

"All we got to do is to refresh their memories. Make them remember what kind of monster he is and how much evil he is capable of doing. This is why I have summoned you Kayato."

The said man raised an eyebrow.

"I don't get it…"

The leader of ROOT leaned in closer.

"What we need is a sacrifice. Someone who's willing to take one for the good of the village."

"Eeeh? Wait y-you don't mean?" The ANBU captain shot up from the chair. There was no way in hell he was doing something like _that!_

"Don't worry Kagoshima. We need someone who's well liked by everyone. You're not qualified enough for that." Homura spoke without even looking at the frustrated man.

'_Thanks a lot… old hag…'_

"Fine, then what do you want _me_ to do?" The black-haired relaxed again.

"I need you to find this guy and a couple of ANBU we can trust. They can not be members of ROOT, It will look too suspicious. You know your men and where their loyalties lies. I'll expect nothing else from you."

"Of course, Danzou-sama." Kayato bowed.

"If we can pull this off, Uzumaki Naruto's days of playing village hero… will be over…" The one-eyed said coldly.

As Kayato walked out of the room, ready to carry out his new mission, an evil smirk formed on his lips.


	2. Together, right?

**This story is rated M for**: Violent themes(brutal torture), sexual themes(Might be lemons), language, angst.

**This chapter is re-written due to change in plot.**

**AN: **

**The reason why this chapter is so short is because this is the only place I'll be able to stop in a long time. If I hadn't, the next chapter would've been really long. Probably passed 10'000. Besides, you're getting a quicker update and that's always a good thing right? **

**Also, there are some small differences from the original plot from Kishi. Orochimaru is **_**not**_** dead(yet). Jiraiya is not dead(weather or not I'll kill him off will be revealed as the story continues). And oh yeah, there's snow in Konoha. **

**Enjoy the second chapter and please feel free to share opinions.**

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Night turned into morning as the red sunlight slowly started to break through the clouds. To the villagers it was just another cold, winter morning. To them, nothing unusual had happened the previous night. Little did they know that their beloved village would soon take a drastically turn. Certain lives would be destroyed and hearts of loved ones would shatter.

In another part of Konoha, in a rather messy apartment, the topic of last night's meeting laid sound asleep. His hands clinging on to the sheets as the sound of the alarm clock disturbed his peaceful slumber. There was no escaping it. The daylight had already chased away what was left of the comfortable darkness in his room, making the kid narrow his eyes against the bright light, warming his tanned skin.

"Gnh, fine… I'm awake for Christ's sake." He mumbled into the pillow, wishing the annoying ringing would disappear on its own. Blue eyes were eying the clock, thinking that if he stared at it long enough then maybe it would explode or something. After five minutes with intense staring he figured his little plan had failed and was forced to push his body up into a sitting position. There was a slight chill in the room and the young man started to shiver from the lack of clothes on his upper body. The fuzzy blonde hair kept falling in his eyes, but he was too tired to really do something about it. For the first time in months he'd actually had a good night of sleep and the blonde was truly grateful for it. His bare feet met the cold floor and started to make their way into the kitchen. Judging by the amount of food he had left he would probably have to go grocery shopping sometime this week. Living alone wasn't all that bad, but a little help around the house would've been nice. The blonde pulled out a serial box and some milk from the fridge, not bothering to make a huge deal out of breakfast this morning either. The boy frowned when he noticed that the milk was no longer in a liquid state. Skipping breakfast was more tempting now…

After getting dressed and splashing a little water in his face the teen was good to go. The minute he opened the door leading outside fresh air filled his lungs and a smile crept across the whiskered face. He locked the door and started to walk down the streets of the village he treasured so much. Everyone seemed to have started with their morning rituals. Opening stores, shopping, work… Like any normal village, people were caught mostly up with their own lives. He didn't exactly know why, but it sort of brought a calming feeling of relief in his chest. Things had changed.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun!" An old lady waved at the blonde as he passed her bookstore. Naruto grinned and waved back at her. Such a sweet old lady. Along the way he was given several acknowledging nods and waves from random villagers. This was all he ever wanted. It was a heartwarming feeling knowing that the people in this village no longer looked at him as a disease, but as a person. He'd worked so hard to accomplish this and in the end… it all seemed to be worth it.

Lost in his own thoughts Naruto failed to see the man walking in his direction and accidentally bumped into the stranger. The blonde almost lost his balance, but managed to keep himself on his feet.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The older male paused in his steps and turned around to look at the kid that just spoke to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I'll be more careful next time." There was something about the way the black-haired stranger smirked. The obvious pleased look on his face… Creeped him out.

"Uhm, don't worry about it. It's ok…" Naruto hesitated before turning around and started to walk in the opposite direction. The stranger on the other hand just kept staring at the teenager until he rounded the corner.

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After the amusing encounter with the jinchuuriki Kayato continued down the alley to carry out the first part of the mission. Finding a sacrifice. A mere pawn for plan. He had one person in mind. '_Told'ya you'd pay for the cold and cynical bastard comment.'_ He reached the door to something that looked like the home of a very wealthy household. He heard a child's laugh coming from inside the house. The sound sickened him. Finally the door opened and a mid-aged woman appeared in the doorway. Her long, brown hair blowing in her face as a chilly breeze passed them by. The woman smiled at the stranger standing on her doorsteps.

"Sorry for taking so long. My two year old is playing ninja _inside_ the house. Uh, may I help you sir?" The woman asked gently while fiddling with her hair that so desperately wanted to blow in her eyes.

The dark haired put on a charming act. This came with the job and he was quite good at it.

"That's adorable. Actually, I was wondering if I could have a word with your husband? We're old friends." It wasn't that far from the truth anyway. Except the 'friend' part, the two of them went way back.

"Uhm, yeah sure. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you as well. Do you want to come inside?" The woman turned around as a little girl, still wearing her pajamas, came running towards them. The two year old stared at the man with amazed eyes as she grinned.

"Ninja!" She smiled. Kayato bowed down until he was at eyelevel with the eager child.

"Hi there little one. What's your name?" His soft and caring voice could probably fool anyone and the youngster and her mother was no exception.

The little girl hid shyly behind her mother's skirt before smiling.

"Nana."

"Nice to meet you Nana-Chan. You have a really nice name. Oh, and I'll just wait outside. If you could be so kind and get him for me I'd be very grateful." Kayato smiled.

"Of course, I'll get him right away. Come on Nana, lets go get daddy."

"Daddy!" The little one ran after her mother, almost tripping in her steps. Such a lively little creature.

Kayato was left alone in the doorway wondering why he had to put up with this shit in the first place. Still, he did enjoy finally getting his revenge. After a little while a tall man appeared in the hallway, his facial expression limitedly changing when he locked eyes with the raven haired. Kayato smirked.

"What are _**you**_ doing here?" The male in front of him asked with a threatening voice, clenching his fist as he approach the visitor.

"My my, no heartwarming welcome? Your wife seemed to like me, maybe I'll have a little chat with her instead? Actually, I'm here to give you a mission dearest, Shiro."

Shiro looked coldly at him. "I'm retired. Get someone else to do your dirty work."

"This is an order from Danzou himself, you ain't got a coiche." The black-haired sighed.

"I don't care. Find someone else. I want nothing more to do with you or the corrupt ANBU." Shiro was done talking and turned around to walk in to the living room again.

"Careful, Shiro-kun. Would've been _such_ a shame if something were to happen to your precious Nana-chan, wouldn't it?" The moment those words left the black-haired's mouth he found himself pinned against the wall with a kunai to his throat. Still, he managed to keep his cool, knowing that not even Shiro was stupid enough to kill him in his own house.

"Do _**not**_ touch my daughter." Shiro's eyes were burning with anger, but the only reaction coming from the man he was currently threatening was anther amused laugh. Such a weak spot. This was exactly why the raven haired didn't have a family and was more than satisfied with a bitch from a brothel rather than a sensitive wife.

"Come on. You've seen what I can do. If I remember correctly you even helped me out on several occasions. Or are you doubting my capabilities? Killing me now would only guarantee your daughter a shorter life than necessary. If I were you I would've reconsidered the answer." The other male seemed to be deep in thought before he finally let go of the ANBU captain with a quick gesture and lowered his head in shame. His past was not something to be proud of. Even if he was forced to take such horrible actions there was no excuse for the things he'd done.

"Daddy?" Nana looked out from the living room. Her big brown eyes staring at her father. He looked back at her with saddened eyes. _'Nana…'_

"Go to your mother, sweetie. I'll be right with you."

"Awright… Hurry up. Mommy's so boring…" He stayed silent until his daughter was out of sight. Shiro then turned around with a hateful expression on his face.

"_Fine_, I'll do it. But on one condition. There will be NO MORE missions when I return. You got that? Enough is enough."

Kayato chuckled. He sounded rather amused by the other man's words and Shiro froze for a moment, wondering why the man seemed to take all of this with ease.

"But you see, Shiro-kun. There _is_ no coming back for you."

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After an embarrassing encounter with Shikamaru Naruto found himself walking down the streets yet again. The only reason he went there in the first place was because Tsunade had asked him to deliver some documents to the Nara household. Who the heck would've guessed that the lazy bastard had a lady over? And why in the world was that someone Ino? And they were… The blonde shock his head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts. Not that it was anything too graphic, but knowing how his mind worked it would probably turn into something like that if he spent anymore time thinking about it. He'd spent too much time with the toad sannin.

It was almost noon already and Naruto had promised Sakura he'd meet up with her on the training grounds. It wasn't often that the two of them got to spare, but he enjoyed it every time. The blonde sighed when he noticed that he was half an hour early, which was not like him at all and figured he'd just enjoy the fresh air while waiting for his teammate. He had something for her as well and he wasn't quite sure how she'd react to it. Deciding not to bother his mind with thoughts like that the whiskered teen planted himself under a tree. Sitting down in the snow was probably not the best idea, but the boy was tired and it wasn't that cold anyway. He'd slept like a stone all night and still his body seemed exhausted for some reason. He gazed up at the sky. Everything was so peaceful. Almost perfect. _Almost_. Things would never be perfect as long as an important person was missing from his life. Getting their teammate back was their main priority now and this time they would succeed no matter what. Was it really that childish to think the Uchiha could be changed back? He knew he would be able to knock at least _some_ sense into the raven haired's head. Then everything would be back to normal. He would be happy. He felt a small sting in his chest. Sakura would be happy… He supposed that was the downside to it. No matter how close the two of them had become he knew there was only room for one person in the kunoichi's heart and it was not him. As long as he could see her happy he was willing to hide that pain from her. She'd become his best friend and even though she didn't love him he knew she cared about him deeply now and for now that was enough. It had to be enough. As the wind played with his blonde locks the 16 year old slowly began to drift into a not so peaceful slumber. The one thing he thought he had escaped for at least one day was now happening.

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"Is this all?" Sakura panted with her head behind a big stack of books and reports, not so sure how long she'd be able to carry old of it without falling flat on her face.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me out, Sakura. I know it's your day off, but the paperwork is piling up and I have too much on my hands these days." The hokage smiled while stretching out in the comfortable chair she'd now decided she never ever would leave.

The pink-haired didn't really agree with that statement, but knew better than to piss her master off. True, she knew the female sannin had a lot to do… she just didn't… well… do it. Sakura placed the books on a nearby shelf and stretched her arms as well. A thought suddenly hit her and the medic gave a small gasp.

"Shit… Sorry Tsunade, I have to go!"

"What's the hurry?" Tsunade blinked behind her desk.

"I promised to meet up with Naruto." Sakura ran for the door.

"When?" The sannin asked.

"10 minutes ago!" The pink-haired managed to say before she disappeared out the door in seconds. The blonde was left smiling to herself.

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'_crap, crap, crap, crap…' _Sakura hurried through the snow, heading for the training grounds. Just a few days ago she'd given him a real preach about running late and look who's 15 minutes behind schedule now. Reaching the location she stared to scan the area for a blonde knucklehead. She soon spotted something orange leaned against one of the trees and started to make her way towards her best friend.

As soon as she closed up on her friend her eyes widen. Was he… sleeping? In the snow? Now?

"Naruto?" She asked with a gentle, yet shocked tone. The only respond she got was some weird mumbles from the blonde as he shifted slightly. She bent down on her knees in front of the sleeping teen. As much as she knew she had to wake him she decided to wait. Only for a little while. Looking at him like this, so peaceful and quiet… Made her smile. Not that she didn't like his hyperactive, usual self, but it was nice to see him like this as well. She found herself admiring his facial lines, the blonde locks stroking his forehead, the lips that now had turned a shade of blue. He sure had changed, hadn't he? She uncousisly removed some hair that had fallen in front of his lids. She sighed in defeat. There was no denying it now, the boy was truly-

She was thrown out of her thoughts as Naruto's breathing suddenly began to fasten. The blonde groaned as he shifted his head slightly back and forth while mumbling something she couldn't hear.

"H-hey… Naruto?" Sakura reached out to gently shook him.

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_Naruto found himself staring down at what looked like Konoha… Or what was left of Konoha. What he was looking at was nothing more than ruins… The vision was all blurry, but he could still hear those pained screams surrounding him. People crying and panicking everywhere. He felt himself move down the streets, only it wasn't him, destroying everything in his path. He lacked control over his body. Buildings, people… it didn't matter. Everything met the same fait. Suddenly he stopped and he could see a little child looking terrified up at him, crying out for his mother. Naruto tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt his hand move and desperately tried to scream his lungs out. Why wouldn't his body listen to him? Was this even his body? He felt a shiver down his spine as he realized that he truly was powerless. There was nothing he could do. Claws started to tear the flesh off of the child. Breaking bones and spilling blood like a predator tearing at its prey. The crying stopped and Naruto felt himself wanting to throw up at the sight of the remaining limbs. The amount of blood… "Honey!" He could see a woman running for the corpse lying in front of him. 'Get away… Don't come here… please.' Everything went black for a second. The scenario had suddenly changed. He was now staring at a huge figure… People were still screaming and bodies were spread all over the place. Naruto felt his pulse fasten as he recognized the one in front of him. G-gamabunta? Couldn't be anyone else. But why? Why was he here? Why did he have to experience this… Even though the screams and faces were all blurry and mere echoes one voice was clear and loud. A woman's voice coming from somewhere down in the chaos… "Don't do it! There's got to be another way! Don't leave me… I can't lose you! Please stop… " Her voice was broken down by tears. Even though she was far away he could still see the red hair blowing in the wind. Her face was still a bit unclear, but Naruto could tell that the woman indeed was beautiful. Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her, racing a sword. The woman kept saying something he wasn't able to hear. Naruto tried once again to speak, but as the sword pierced through the woman's chest he felt himself getting further and further away from the whole scene until everything went black again._

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"Naruto, Wake up!" Sakura shook the blonde at bit harder to wake him up. Naruto shot his eyes wide open, staring out in empty space while breathing fast and heavy.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked out of concern. Naruto felt his pulse slow down and he shifted his eyes so he was looking directly into his teammate's emerald ones, still wide-eyed.

"S-Sakura-Chan?" He stuttered. Not completely convinced that he was really awake yet. Sakura spotted a tear in the corner of his ocean blue eyes. Just what exactly had he been dreaming about? Naruto froze when Sakura gently wiped away the liquid with her thumb.

"You alright?" She tried again.

"Y-yeah… Sorry about that." The blonde laughed nervously while scratching the back of his neck. Sakura frowned.

"Don't do that." She said seriously. She even looked a bit disappointed.

"Do what?" Naruto blinked, surprised by her words.

"Don't pretend everything's alright and brush it off with a laugh. Not around me. You trust me, don't you?"

Naruto paused for a moment before giving her a genuine, mild smile.

"Of course I do."

Sakura gave out a small sigh. "Then act like you do."

"Hey, I'm sorry okay?" He said while gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The medic gave him a forgiving nod.

"What were you dreaming about?" The boy pulled a little back when she started to stare at him for real. Like she could stare right into his soul and know everything before he even got the chance to tell her. She knew him too well and would probably know if he tried to lie about it. Still, he gave it a shot.

"Can't really remember… Sorry." Sakura didn't buy it one bit, but she decided to let it go for now. If he didn't want to talk about it there was probably a good reason. The medic suddenly started to shiver. She hadn't noticed how cold it actually was and in her hurry to get to the training grounds she'd accidentally forgot to put on a jacket.

"You cold?" Naruto asked while reaching out his hand to touch her exposed arm. Her skin did indeed feel cold under his palm. He could even sense small goosebumps spread all over her pale skin.

"N-no, I'm fine. Really." She said, unable to hide the stuttering in her voice. The blonde smirked. He slowly slid off his jacket and gently covered up his teammate's shoulders with the warm fabric. Sakura felt her forehead brush slightly against Naruto's chest the moment he placed his jacked around her. Somehow, it made her cheeks turn a bit red and she prayed to god that he wouldn't notice. Wasn't like that to blush over something like that. Not for him.

Naruto pulled back to secretly steal a good look at the young woman in front of him. She was currently staring down at the snow, not really sure where to look. He chuckled at the sight. She looked absolutely adorable when she was embarrassed.

Sakura felt her pulse raise at the sound of his laughter and she playfully hit his left shoulder.

"What about you? You'll get a cold instead of me if you don't cover up some more…"

"Nah, I rarely get sick. Got one hell of a immune system you know." The boy grinned.

Sakura smiled as well, but she didn't find it that amusing when she thought about the reason for his good immune system. As long as it didn't bother him she guessed she shouldn't worry about it either. Even though they both were quite comfortable around each other there was those moments when the silence turned into an embarrassing situation. If it was up to Naruto he'd gladly change places with the jacket, but there was no way he'd act on that thought alone.

"Oh, wait a minute… I almost forgot. I got something for you." The blonde suddenly remembered.

"Huh, for me? What?" The pink-haired blinked.

"Uhm, it's in my jacket pocked. Left one." Naruto laughed while pointing at the side of the jacket currently covering her.

"Oh." Sakura reached down in the left pocked. Her hand met something that felt like a necklace.

"Is this?" She blinked.

"Go ahead…" Naruto encouraged her.

She gently grabbed the object and pulled it out. She opened her hand and stared in amazement at the accessory. A small silver heart hanging at the end with the kanji 愛 (love) engraved on it.

"Naruto, you didn't have to-"

"It's nothing much really. Well, your birthday is coming up next week, right? And as you know we're leaving for the mission in snow country in about two days, and I don't think I'll be able to give you anything in the middle of a battle or something. So… I thought I'd just give it to you now. Happy birthday, Sakura." Naruto gave another nervous laugh. This time he actually was nervous. Shopping for gifts wasn't really his thing and he had no idea if she'd like it. He was getting slightly uncomfortable when it went a while with her just staring down in her palm without saying anything.

"It's beautiful." She finally said.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you like it. It's supposed to have a good luck charm, or so I was told. I'm not really good at this so I-"

"Thank you, Naruto." Sakura leaned in to embrace the blonde in a gentle hug before he managed to say anything.

"Really, thank you." She whispered. Naruto wasn't really sure about what to do in this situation. What he was allowed to do nevertheless. He then did what came naturally to him, he placed his arms gently around her and returned the hug. She fit so perfectly in his arms and for a moment he considered never letting her go, but reality made that thought vanish all too soon and he forced himself to pull back. Nothing but a friendly hug.

"You're welcome, but I should be the one thanking you, you know." He smiled.

"Why? I haven't done anything." Sakura said calmly while feeling strangely worm all over her body.

Well, basically for you sticking up with me I guess. I know I tend to be a… somewhat of an idiot at times." The jinchuuriki laughed. "And… you know. For always being there for me, Sakura-Chan." Obviously Sakura wasn't the only one feeling a little heated, because Naruto looked like he had a hard time telling her this. The tiny sweatdrops visible at his forehead made her feel a little better actually.

Sakura smiled slightly at him. "I'm not that much of a help really…"

Naruto's eyes widen. "What are you talking about? Of course you are…"

"No, I'm not. Even now, the last time we were fighting Kakazu… eventually all I could do was heal you." Her emerald eyes shifted and stared down at the snow covered ground. She seemed… disappointed in herself. A hand suddenly lifted her head and a couple of serious ocean blue eyes looked at her.

"Listen. Weather or not you fight is unimportant. Actually, I'd rather have it that you don't. I don't want you to get hurt, especially not because of me." He paused. "And by no means _for_ me. But just by having you here, believing in me. Being my friend…" He smiled again. "My best friend. That's more than anyone could ever do for me. I care about you… deeply…. and I'll never let anything happen to you. I hope you know that." Naruto figured that if he continued it'd probably turn into a love confession and that was not what he wanted.

Sakura felt her cheeks burning again. Why couldn't he just stop making her feel like this? She figured she looked ridiculously stupid, blushing at his words. It wasn't like her, but she hated the fact that she didn't mind the unfamiliar feeling.

"I just wish I could promise you the same thing… I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to protect you. I promised myself that this time I would be the one protecting you and Sasuke-kun… Especially you. But when we're up against the likes of an organization as the Akatsuki… eventually all I become is a burden, isn't it… I can't heal every injury. If a day were I'm not able to heal you comes I don't know what to do…" Her self confidence had increased a lot while training under Tsunade, but after seeing what the Akatsuki members were capable of she still had her doubts. True, she defeated Sasori, but she'd never managed to kill him without the help off the elder.

"Are you seriously thinking like that?" Naruto almost sounded angry and Sakura was taken by surprise.

"Sakura, you'll never be a burden. You've never been. I can't do this without you. As you said, we'll do this _together_. We'll get Sasuke back _together_. We're a team. You're stronger than you think. You're the hokage's apprentice and that says a lot. Don't ever think like that again. Promise me that, Sakura-Chan."

Sakura smiled. "Together, huh?"

"Together." Naruto grinned.

"Alright, now show me what you got." Sakura stood up in a fighting position. The blonde laughed and accepted the invitation.

"You asked for it, pinky!"

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In the hokage office Tsunade sat quietly behind a stack of reports, playing a game of X's and O's for probably the twentieth time in two hours. She found the game to be quite calming and it beat doing the paperwork. The door suddenly shot up and the hokage quickly turned the paper and grabbed a pen.

"Busy as always, Tsunade-hime?"

The fifth frowned. "Ever heard of knocking?" She stared displeased at the two elders standing in the middle of the room. They seemed to ignore her question, getting straight to the point.

"We are here regarding the safety of this village and you'll do well to listen." Tsunade wondered how the hell they managed to keep their faces expressionless twenty-four hours a day, but was not about to ask.

"We're short on shinobis, I know, but there is nothing we can do about that right now. We can't afford to hire anyone at the moment." The blonde sannin sighed.

"Yes, that the is also a problem, but this is regarding Uzumaki Naruto. It would be for the best if he was forbidden to leave the village, but since you've made it pretty clear that that's not going to happen anytime soon we've come up with another solution." Koharu spoke.

"I'm listening." Tsunade had seen this coming for a long time. She did agree with them to a certain degree, but locking Naruto up was something she refused to do.

"We suggest that if he were to go outside the village gates on a mission five ANBU is required as escort." Tsunade's eyes widened.

"FIVE? Here you are complaining about the lack of men and yet you're willing to use that many just as an escort?"

"You know just as well as we do that _he_ is the reason we're short on shinobis."

"Don't put that on him…" Tsunade said calmly, knowing that there was some truth in what they were saying. Of course it wasn't his fault, but the Akatsuki were stubborn bastards and it seemed like they wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. Not like she'd ever let that happen. She'd lost far more loved ones than she could handle already. Protecting him was one of her main priorities.

"Fine, but he won't like this." The sannin sighed.

"You've made a wise decision, Tsunade."

The door closed and the elders walked down the hallway. Heading for Danzou's house.

"If Kayato has done _his_ part of the job all we have to do now is wait for a golden opportunity."


	3. Confusion

Greetings. Another chapter update for you. Things will take another turn next chapter as I found a place to stop before the plan takes action. As always, enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think. Sorry for any grammar spelling mistakes, 3AM and I'm dead tired.

Chapter three: Confusion

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"Out of the way!"

Shizune nearly knocked over a nurse while running at full speed down the hallway. The medic managed to jump out of the way as the raven haired woman continued her sprint towards her master's office. Figured that the traffic would be at its worst at this time of the day.

"S-sorry!" She didn't have the time to look back, but she sure did hope that she didn't caused too much damage to the people she ran into… or over.

The mid-aged woman had enough to deal with already, and yet the big pile of problems only seemed to get bigger as the day grew older. Reaching the office she decided that knocking was something she never used to do anyway and opened the door with a slam.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade, who was currently enjoying her coffee while watching the sunset, almost spilled the hot liquid all over the desk the moment she heard the door shot open. What was it with people and not knocking these days… She'd considered several times to get a freakin' lock on that damn door just for the pleasure of seeing people crash into it.

"Sheesh Shizune! What is it?"

"I-I'm sorry, but we've just received a message from Suna. They are in desperate need of our help." The fifth calmed herself and put down her coffee cup.

"What's wrong?" She asked, folding her hands in front of her and biting her thumb lightly. Why did everyone seem to be in trouble when Konoha had a difficult period themselves.

"Well, it seems that some of the villagers have been infected with an unknown virus. The medics of Suna haven't been able to develop an antidote and they're asking for our help. Here's a list of noticeable symptoms." Shizune laid something that looked like a letter in front of the sannin. There were several symptoms that even Tsunade was unfamiliar with, but it didn't seem to be fatal. Still, Suna was in need of their help and she was not about to let them down. If things got any worse around here Suna was one of the few she could count on.

"We could send team 10. Ino's become an excellent medic. Her skill level has increased a lot. I'm sure she can handle it." The black haired suggested.

"I agree, but I just sent team 10 on a mission in Grass. They won't be back for at least a week." The Blonde sighed. She knew there was no other choice then to send her own student. She had to face this sooner or later anyway. This was the rules and the brat would have to deal with it whether he liked it or not. It was for his own good.

"Summon team Kakashi."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In another part of Konoha a few people were gathered to discuss the fate of one certain boy.

"I hope you're all aware of how important it is for this mission to succeed." Danzou said while sitting behind wooden desk, looking at the five men standing in front of him, ready to carry out the mission. They were all wearing ANBU masks and looked like five dogs born for the one purpose of obeying their master. Which was probably the case for three of them.

"Do not worry. We won't disappoint you, Danzou-sama. This can't fail if everyone do their parts." The man in the middle said not even bothering to hide the pleased tone in his voice.

"I'll be counting on you, Kayato." Danzou then shifted his gaze to the man standing next to the black-haired. "I must say… Shiro-kun. By doing this you are doing the village a big favor. I'll make sure that you'll be remembered as a great man. Your family will be taken good care of."

Shiro bit his lip. It wasn't like he was doing this voluntarily either. One thing was sacrificing himself for a good cause, but he failed to find anything honorable by doing something like this. He had nothing against the jinchuuriki and hated the fact that he was about to ruin his life, but his daughter meant everything to him. He couldn't loose her and that thought went above everything else. Even his sense of morality.

"Thank you…" He simply nodded.

"Also, as you already know, this mission is not to be revealed to anyone outside of this room. If said thing were to happen I will make sure that you and your family will regret it." The one-eyed said coldly before dismissing the group. They all headed for the hokage tower and landed in front of the building within two minutes. Shiro looked at the raven haired walking in front of him. The thought of him actually enjoying this sickened him. This was the exact reason why he quit the ANBU a bit earlier than necessary. The longer you worked as an ANBU, the more corrupt and sicker did things get. Kayato cast a look over his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Shiro? Having seconds thought already? If you do I'm sure-"

"Lets just do this." Shiro said walking past the raven-haired.

Standing outside the office they could hear loud voices coming from beyond the door separating them from the room. One of the ANBU members knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The first thing Shiro noticed as he stepped into the office was a pissed of blonde standing next to a pink-haired young woman not looking too pleased herself."

"You can't seriously mean this, baah-chan?" Naruto gazed at the five men that just entered the room. He didn't need this.

"I'm sorry, kid, but this is for your own protection. If you refuse I'm taking you off this mission. That's it." The hokage said, not about to change her mind even if he started begging her.

"Tsunade-sama, you don't think this is going a little bit overboard?" Sakura found this to be a bit too much herself. _Five_ ANBU? It would be better to use Konoha's elite for something a bit more important than a simple escort. Naruto was not weak and neither was she. It's not like they couldn't handle a little resistance along the way.

"Please don't make a big deal out of this. You two are the only members of team Kakashi who's currently not on a mission. Maybe if Kakashi or Yamato had come with you, but as things are now you'll have to deal with a little extra protection. End of discussion." Even though her answer was meant for her own student she was still looking at the blonde standing next to her. He had to understand how serious this was. Sure, five ANBU _was _a bit much, but if that's what the council requested there wasn't much she could do about it. She couldn't stand their bitching and all of this were giving her a major headache as she started to rub the sides of her forehead.

"Fine… The faster we get to Suna the better." Naruto wasn't in the mood to argue with the hokage. It had been a while since he'd last seen Gaara and wanted to catch up with the Kazekage. They were good friends after all.

Tsunade sighed in relief and Sakura seemed to be ok with it as well. "Good. You're dismissed."

The two members of the former team seven walked out the door while the ANBU remained with the hokage.

"As stated before, I am not too fond of this whole thing and I don't know why we need all five of you, but as long as you are assigned to be his escort I expect you to do your job. If you were to encounter a member of the Akatsuki do not make the two of them fight unless it's necessary. Do I make myself clear?" The blonde said, looking seriously at the men in front of her. The five shinobis nodded before disappearing as well. Tsunade was again alone in her office, wondering why her stomach kind of clenched at the thought of sending the two of them on this mission. It was probably nothing, but the moment she was about to take a zip of her coffee the cup slipped between her fingers and fell to the floor, breaking. Tsunade was left staring at the pieces.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Naruto and Sakura stood outside the gates of Konoha, waiting for their escort to arrive. Neither of them were very pleased with the situation, but going against Tsunade's orders at a time like this was more or less stupid.

"Well, this kind of sucks…" The blonde said while leaning against a pole, crossing his arms.

"Tsunade is only doing what she thinks is best for you, Naruto. There is no need to sulk about it." The medic answered, leaning against the opposite pole.

"I know that, but do you honestly think I need all this? I mean… How weak does she think I am… We can handle a small mission like this. Just the two of us." That was mainly the thing that bugged him. He'd taken out an Akatsuki before, they were strong alright, but nothing he couldn't handle. Besides, what were the chances of them appearing during this mission anyway?

Sakura sighed. Was it really that bad to have a little extra help?

"I'm not saying that you're not capable of taking out these bastards, but if they were to encounter us… and if we somehow weren't able to fight back with equal strength… It's not that bad to have a little backup, is it?" _'if something were to happen to you…'_

The blonde didn't seem to pay much attention to her words. He didn't want the freakin' ANBU to babysit him on every mission he was assigned to. When he'd get back from this one he'd have a serious talk with that old hag.

"I guess I can live with it for now…" He eventually replied. Sakura smiled and walked over to her teammate, patting him on the head like a pet which made the boy frown, but still enjoying it in a very weird way. Deep down Sakura was grateful for the ANBU. Even after Naruto's speech the other day she was still afraid of the outcome if they were to encounter the feared enemy.

The ANBU arrived shortly after and the group was ready to leave for Suna.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Konoha group had been flying through the treetops for about six hours. The two original members of the team kept talking through the whole trip, but the ANBU stayed as silent as ever. To be honest, Naruto didn't really notice the escort's presence. Maybe this wasn't going to be that bad after all. It was pretty cold outside, but the teens didn't seem to notice as they had way to much to talk about. Dressing properly for the weather was something they both sucked at, but in this case Sakura won the price for the lack of clothes. She was still wearing her usual fighting outfit along with a thin, black coat covering everything from her neck down to her lower thighs. Naruto on the other hand had a somewhat warmer jacket covering his torso, nothing more, but at least he wore pants.

"This is kind of nice isn't it?" Sakura said while staring at Naruto as they continued to jump through the treetops a few feet behind the ANBU.

"What is?" The blonde asked, trying to keep up with her as the snow kept getting in his eyes.

"This. A mission we can kind of relax on. I don't think developing an antidote will take more than a couple of hours." The pink-haired smiled.

"Really? Well, baah-chan doesn't need to know that, does she? Maybe we can stay there for a couple of days longer. I kind of need a vacation." Naruto smirked as he stretched the muscles in the back of his neck. All this sleeping trouble of his was really getting on his nerves. Like he was tired 24\7. Maybe he'd be able to relax in Suna. Get his mind off of things and just enjoy the company of his treasured teammate. Sakura smiled, having the exact same thought.

One of the men slid up beside the couple and both of them were taken by surprise as they both seemed to be too lost in the conversation to notice him at first.

"We will be taking a break here. Get some sleep and we'll continue at full speed in the morning." The ANBU said before jumping down on the ground followed by the rest of his comrades. The two teens followed as well. The location couldn't really be any worse. No shelter just a lots of trees and snow. It was a very open place so gazing up at the starry sky wouldn't be a problem tonight, but neither of them had expected to sleep outside. If so, they would've at least brought some sleepingbags along with them.

"Don't you just love sleeping outside when it's freakin' cold…" The blonde frowned as his feet met the ground. Sarcasm written all over his face. Sakura chuckled at the comment.

"Oh, come on, we don't have much of a choice. It's either that or spend the night standing. I for mine could need some sleep and so could you. Just think of the soft beds waiting for us in Suna." The medic said before heading for a nearby tree to shelter herself from the freezing wind. The other teen followed her like a pet. Sakura found a perfect little spot that barely had any snow covering it and placed herself under said tree. She gave a tired sigh as her back met the hard wood. It was first now she noticed how sore her muscles were. Naruto was unsure of whether or not he should sit down next to her or find another spot to settle for the night. He decided to settle down under the three opposite of the one she'd already occupied. There were just a few feet separating them from each other and he was more than fine with that. At least now they could talk. The problem was that his side didn't shield him from the wind at all… Or the snow for that matter. It wasn't snowing heavily, but enough to make him cold and soaked if he were to sit in that exact spot for the entire night. He pulled his jacket up a little higher as he tried to hide the obvious fact that he was freezing his ass off.

Sakura stared at the blonde as he kept warming his hands. She did feel a little bad for him, seeing him like that. They'd just have to bite their tongues and make it through the night without getting a serious cold. Sakura was getting rather sleepy as well and nothing would do her better now than a warm bed. Sadly, that wasn't an option and the pink-haired curled up as she rested her head against the tree's hard surface.

"Good night, Naruto." The medic yawned, her eyes already closed.

"Yeah, night, Sakura-Chan." The blonde smiled, knowing there was no way he would be able get any sleep this night. At least he had something to look at.

------------------------------------------

Quite a few meters away from the teenagers the ANBU sat around a small campfire, neither of them uttering a word. Shiro had a lot on his mind while staring into the already dying fire. _'Can't believe I'm doing this…'_ the retired ANBU sighed. _'He doesn't deserve this…' _

"Getting exited, are we?" He heard a voice behind him say.

"Listen, Kayato. If I'm going to die anyway can't you at least leave me the fuck alone for the rest of my remaining time…" Shiro hissed.

"I'd love to, but no can do. We have a little planning to do." The ANBU captain said while taking a seat next to the other man.

"How are you planning to do this anyway. I mean, what about the girl?" The brown-haired asked while throwing another stick of wood on the fire, making the flame raise a bit higher.

"True, the girl is a problem, but we got that covered. We just have to separate them and make up a believable explanation. Besides, if she were to get in the way we could just say that the brat killed her or something. Would've been such an amusing story, don't you think?" The raven-haired laughed.

Shiro stared at the other man in shock. Was it even possible to find something like that amusing? Kayato noticed the intense stare and stopped laughing.

"What? Can't see the humor in it? Well, it doesn't matter. I'll signal the others in the morning and by the end of the day the demon will be charged for murder and you'll be… well…" Kayato grinned before taking his leave. Shiro gritted his teeth. This went beyond evil… This wasn't right. He was sure he'd go to hell after tomorrow, but there was no escaping from this horrible faith.

'_Nana… Reina… Forgive me'_

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It was nearly midnight and it was getting colder and colder by the hour. The wind had gotten stronger and the snow fell more thickly. Sakura sat cuddled up as a little ball, half asleep, while shivering all over her body. The thin coat and pink scarf did almost nothing to keep her warm. She eventually gave up and cracked up her eyes only to find herself staring at the moon in between the millions of snow crystals flying through the air. It was pretty. She then turned to look at her blonde teammate. Was he sleeping? She couldn't tell. His eyes were closed though. His hair almost looked white due to all the snow that had gathered all over him. It wasn't until he coughed that she noticed that he was awake.

"Naruto?" Sakura called calmly.

The blonde opened his eyes as well and gazed at Sakura with a tired look.

"Hm? Something wrong?"

"Uhm, no... Just can't sleep, that's all." She said while gazing at her feet, still hugging herself.

"Yeah, me neither…" The blonde sighed. The only thing that had been on his mind for the last hours was keeping himself warm. At least to a certain degree. As long as they both were up they could at least keep each other companied.

"Hey, Naruto… do you…-" Sakura started. Unsure about whether or not to ask the question. She didn't want to upset him.

"Do I?" He asked curiously.

"Well, do you honestly think we'll be able to get Sasuke-kun back? To make our team whole again? I know you're determinated, but is it likely to happen?" The real reason she asked him this was because she wanted him to understand how unlikely it was for them to change the young Uchiha's mind. If he'd just let go of that promise he wouldn't put himself in that much danger and it would put at least a little weight off of her chest. The only problem was that if she told him this he'd might take it the wrong way and he'd only get hurt by her request. She had to try because this was worrying her to no end.

"You miss him, don't you?" A hint of sadness was heard in the teens voice as he smiled at the pink-haired.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked. Well, of course she missed him, but she'd moved on and realized that the most important thing in Sasuke's life was revenge and that it went beyond both Naruto and herself. They had to accept that. She just wasn't sure if Naruto could see this as well. If he kept this up he'd only get himself hurt and she wouldn't let that happen.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-Chan. I'll get him back… I promise." That look in his eyes, like everything would be okay. She almost fell for it, but knew better than that. He hadn't realized it after all. Naruto then started to cough for the second time. Maybe he'd actually catch a cold for the first time in his life, and as thing were now he didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Are you cold?" The moment the words left the kunoichi's mouth she soon realized that it was a silly question. If she felt like she was starting to freeze to death then he probably had it twice as bad.

"Uhm, no. I'm fine." Naruto grinned, but Sakura could tell by the slight stuttering in his voice that he wasn't fine at all. He was shivering just as bad as she was and he'd be a fool to think that she didn't noticed. Naruto watched the frosty breath escape her mouth. The girl should learn to dress herself a little warmer. Not that he should be the one to tell her that since he was just as bad himself.

"Do you… want to come over here for a while?" Sakura asked, not really sure where to look. Asking something like this of him was the first time, but hell she was freezing her limbs off and so was he.

"Over to you?" Naruto blinked, tilting his head as pieces of snow fell off of him at the sudden movement.

"Yeah… If you don't wa-"

"You sure that's okay?" Naruto asked while raising an eyebrow, having a hard time believing that that was what she really wanted.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it, idiot…" The medic answered, a bit annoyed over the fact that he was so god damn slow sometimes. Naruto caught the aggressive tone and pulled himself to his feet, which he by the way couldn't feel. As he walked towards the pink-haired he noticed that she still wouldn't face him and he got a bit curious. He doubted that sleeping next to her would make things any better. What if he accidentally fell on her or something? He'd have his ass kicked in no time. The thought sent a chill down his spine. He took a seat next to her. They were still separated by ten inches cause he didn't want to sit too close, afraid of her reaction. He wanted her to feel comfortable and decided not to try anything. Most of the times he flirted with her was because he loved to tease her anyway. He knew all too well that her heart belonged to someone else and he wouldn't stand in her way.

"Thanks." Sakura said softly.

"Uhm, no problem. You cold or something?" He asked the exact same dumb question which they both knew the answer to.

"Wow, you're quick today aren't you?" The medic laughed. She did feel a little warmer now that she had someone sitting next to her, but she was by no means warm and was still unable to sleep.

"Well, you asked me first." The blonde smirked.

Naruto's eyes widen when he felt the young woman lean against him a little closer until their shoulders touched.

"Sakura-Chan?" He nearly whispered while looking down at the curled up body sitting next to him. She didn't reply.

"You're shivering…" She simply said. Naruto looked down at his hands. They were indeed shaking.

"Guess I do. I've lost all feelings in my hands anyway." He laughed. Sakura stared at them. She was sure that they'd get frost injuries if he sat like that any longer. She then did something very uncharacteristic. She grabbed one of his hands and placed it gently in her own lap, caressing it as she tried to warm it. Her hands felt so good against his palm as he slowly regained a slight feeling in his left hand. '_Sakura… Just what exactly are you doing?'_ the blonde thought. Whatever it was she was trying to do he wished she'd stop doing it as fast as possible. He didn't want to regain hope… If this just was a game of hers it sure was cruel because Naruto could feel that flame of hope he'd been trying to forget existed sparkle again. This was meant in a completely friendly way, right? Nothing more.

"Better?" she asked, still leaning slightly against him and it seriously bothered him that she didn't let go of his hand. Not that he didn't enjoy it, but he could be getting the wrong signals.

"Yeah, thanks… but…" Naruto stared at her while having one word stuck in his head. _'why?'_

"It's c-cold…" The medic stuttered, squeezing his hand a little tighter. She probably wasn't aware that she was doing it either. Her lips had turned a shade of purple and she'd lost all feelings in her toes and legs in general. Naruto bit his lower lip. He'd just have to face the consequences of his actions. He had to figure out what this was. He took in a deep breath as he gently removed his hand from hers and placed his arm around Sakura's shoulder and pulled her closer in. He could feel Sakura freeze up at his touch, still she did nothing to stop him. Instead of pulling away she wordlessly leaned in closer to his torso. In all honestly, she didn't _know_ what to say. Se did know, however, that she felt a whole lot warmer sitting like this. She could hear his heart pound a little faster than normal and it made her giggle.

"W-what?" Naruto asked, slightly embarrassed. Everything confused him right now.

"Nooothing…" The pink-haired grinned into his chest. Naruto let out a small laugh as well. Without thinking he automatically wrapped a second arm around her tiny form and pulled her even closer. Sakura, taken by surprise at the sudden action, gave a small squeak as she was practically placed in a position between his legs, strong arms wrapped around her and head leaning against a muscular, yet warm chest. Naruto already knew he'd taken things a bit too far and immediately regretted the decision. Sakura could feel his warm breath against her neck, sending shivers down her spine. They stayed like that in silent for a short moment.

"Eager aren't we?" Sakura eventually joked. Trying to break the awkward tension that was forming between them, even though she kind of liked her new position. _'I knew it…' _the blonde thought. She wasn't trying to do anything else other than keeping herself warm and it was somewhat of a relief to him. At least now he could let that crazy thought go.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do anything you're not comfortable with…" He loosened his grip around her, but Sakura managed to caught his wrists before he could remove the warm feeling she kind of started to enjoy. As fast as the hope disappeared it was back up again. This was really getting to him and not in a good way.

"It's okay… It's not that bad really. You're kinda soft… like a really comfy pillow." Sakura tilted her head up to look at the man behind her and stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"Soft?" Naruto frowned.

"Yup." The kunoichi laughed while wondering what in the world she was doing. Why she was letting him do this. Why she found herself liking it… She felt his breath again.

"It tickles…" She giggled, a shade of red spreading across her face. Naruto found it to be quite amusing and leaned his mouth closer to her creamy shoulders, breathing hot air on purpose. Just for the purpose of teasing her, but at the same time to confirm something else.

"Hey, stop it!" Sakura laughed while twisting a little in his grip. It was those words he wanted to hear, but not in that tone. He wanted her to mean it and the curiosity of how far he could actually go before she told him to back off was starting to get to him. Enough was enough, if she was playing with him he'd find out. The fact that he didn't _know_ was killing him. Even if she got mad he was willing to take the risk and he leaned in even closer. Her back was completely pressed against him now. His lips brushed slightly against her cold skin. It was by no means a kiss, but it made her giggling stop the moment she felt the mild touch of his cold lips.

Sakura was at a loss. What did he just do? Was it just an accident? She decided to not say anything, curious of his intentions. It went a while without either of them doing anything. Maybe he didn't do it on purpose after all.

Her silence wasn't enough to tell him she didn't like it. He needed a confirmation and he needed one now before things got out of hands. He then ran a wet tongue across his lips and gently pressed them against the back of her neck. This time it _was _a small kiss. He felt the woman in front of him let out a gasp and slowly shift in between his legs, but why the hell wasn't she saying anything? _'Come on Sakura… tell me to stop. Please… I know you want to.' _

The kunoichi was now sure that it wasn't an accident and that he did everything consciously. She should tell him to stop, hit him in the head for doing something like this without her permission, but damn it felt so good no matter how much she tried to deny it in her head. She didn't have the guts to turn around and face him. Instead, she waited patiently for his next move, subconsciously wanting him to take this further.

Naruto gritted his teeth soundlessly. She still wouldn't stop him? He didn't know if he should continue or just pretend nothing happened between them and go on as everything was normal. He'd have to be careful and take this slowly. She'd have to reject him sooner or later, right? She was probably just a bit confused and he didn't want to take advantage of that. When she realized what he was doing he would apologize and everything would be fine. Just another one of his annoying flirting attempts. That was what he kept telling himself. Naruto lifted the hand that was currently wrapped around his teammate, this time she didn't grab his wrist. He started to gently stroke his hand up and down her arm. Soft movements that made the kunoichi shiver. Little did he know that it was shivers of pleasure. Her breathing did get a little heavier which was the opposite reaction of what he'd expected. He wouldn't stop until she told him to now. For the third time he brought his lips down to her shoulder, this time a little bolder. He allowed himself to taste her, using his tongue to gently run it over her beautiful skin up to her neck. The mild kisses turned into hungry ones and Sakura arched back into his grasp, her breathing turning into quick pants. Several times she opened her mouth, but not a word was said.

"Gnh…" Sakura felt her entire body getting hotter by each stroke, each kiss. She didn't want to stop. She knew all too well that she shouldn't be enjoying this, but she was acting on her instinct now. Her desire. Her feelings? Her mind told her to make him stop, but everything else arched for him to continue. The touch of the man behind her made her forget everything about the cold air surrounding them. The fact that it wasn't just any man, but the one she trusted the most in the whole world made things all the more better. Sakura grabbed his free hand and squeezed it, as if urging him to continue. It might be wrong, but right now she couldn't care less.

He hadn't meant for it to end like this. She should've stopped him the moment he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't like her and she was going to regret it. Still, he couldn't pull himself to stop now. Being allowed to touch her like this… He was loving every second of it and the fact that he was making her feel good at a time like this. The pink-haired finally arched her head back and he could see that she had closed her eyes and her lips were slightly parted, panting more rapidly. This gave him access to attack the front of her neck. He leaned down and gently started to shower her with kisses, moving down to her collarbone and up again. Nipping gently at her skin with his teeth. His hunger for her growing more as she continued to allow him touching her. He heard the girl give faint moans and he loved the sound of it, but still… He couldn't bring himself to believe that this was what she really wanted. It had to end somewhere.

"Sakura?" He whispered in between heavy breaths.

The medic didn't open her eyes nor did she answer.

"Why aren't you telling me to stop?"

The medic still had her head bent back resting over his shoulder. Why did he have to ask her that? If she didn't even know it herself, then how was she going to explain it to him? She felt her hand shaking….

"Naruto… I…"

"This is a mission, not some fuckin' pleasure trip." The two teens shot back when they heard one of the ANBU speaking. He was standing on a branch above them. Just how long had he been watching anyway? Naruto felt his hate for the ANBU grow stronger the longer he looked down at them. The fact that he couldn't see the man's face angered him.

"Fine." Naruto answered, not about to start a fight with him. The ANBU simply nodded and in the blink of an eye he was nowhere to be seen, still, he knew they were being watched. He turned to Sakura again. She was still gazing at the spot the ANBU stood only moments ago.

"Sakura?" Their faces was so close that she could feel his breath when he opened his mouth. The pink-haired turned her head to face him. The eyes that met her was full of regret like he'd just done something terrible wrong. That was probably what he was thinking anyway. She sighed before giving him a smile.

"Sakura, I'm sorry… I-"

"It's okay." Her emerald eyes had a calming effect on the blonde. Was it really alright? He got his answer when the kunoichi leaned in to gently kiss him on the cheek. In truth she was afraid to do anything else, being rather inexperienced on those fields, and to her great surprise it didn't seem as Naruto was as innocent as she'd first believed. Naruto wanted so badly to taste her lips, but decided not to. It was tempting alright, but he was still confused about the whole thing. Sure, she'd let him take thing a little far, but he didn't know if it was because she wanted it or if she simply allowed it due to curiosity. Sakura yawned and it made the blonde smile. With a quick movement he removed his own jacket and tucked it around Sakura while wrapping a couple of firm arms around her. She felt so secure in his arms even though she was just as confused about the whole thing as he was. About what she wanted to do with this. They could figure things out when they got to Suna. At least the ANBU wouldn't be watching their every movement there. She let her body relax and rested her head against his collarbone. She wasn't freezing anymore and she could thank her teammate for that.

"Good night, Naruto" The girl mumbled.

Naruto smiled down at the woman in his arms. She looked absolutely stunning in the moonlight… He waited until she was asleep before allowing his fingers to carefully play with her hair. Stroking it. He found himself yet again unable to sleep, but as for now, it didn't matter.

"Sweet dreams, Sakura."

------------------------------

"Rise and shine…" Shiro shot up in a sitting position only to meet the disgusting likes of the ROOT captain gazing down at him. It was the last person he wanted to see this morning. It was hard for him to believe that this would be his last day. He'd never get to see his family again… He wouldn't be there to see his daughter grow up to be a beautiful woman, just like her mother. All of this because he'd managed to piss the raven-haired off all those years ago. He should've known better back then.

"Shiro!" One of the ANBU members called. The brown-haired turned to face the man, letting him know that he was listening.

"You mind waking up the youngsters? It's time." Shiro gazed out in the opposite direction. He could see two sleeping figures under a tree. What in the world was he doing? _'I'm so sorry…'_


End file.
